Obama Said to Seek Curbs on Identity Theft Via Tax Return

President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget plan will include proposals to combat a rise in identity theft occurring through tax returns, said an administration official.

Obama’s budget, which will be released tomorrow, will call for imposing a $5,000 civil penalty for tax-related identity theft, restricting access to Social Security death records and allowing employers to avoid putting Social Security numbers on W-2 wage reporting forms. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the budget’s release.